35: Into The Unknown

Chapter 35 of "A River Trembles", Book Two of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles

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The story began in A Grail for Eidothea. You really need to catch up to make sense of A River Trembles. Go on, save this post and go have a binge read. You deserve it.

Cornelian ap Tregallas claimed that Ladon’s mother is Berlewen and wanted to move into the palace as part of the extended royal family. Eidothea refused. Llyr and Eidothea declared a truce. The Chosen Court rehearsed for the bonding ceremony, set to be held in the stone circle.

It began as we had rehearsed. In the centre of the stone circle, Llyr and faced each other, chanting the spell. He drank from the Greal, passing it to me. I sipped the honeyed liquid and handed it to Maeve.

She downed the remainder in one bold gulp. Her Chosen mark, a feather on the back of her hand, blazed blue in conjunction with mine and Llyr’s.

The crowd roared its approval.

Maeve handed the Greal back to Llyr, who poured a fresh libation from the small jug on the stone altar. He drank from it, then I. I turned, handing the Greal to Ondine.

Her lips touched the greal. Her eyes widened.

:’Ware!: shrieked Maeve.

I spun. Maeve leapt in front of me, a silver blast catching her square in the chest. A blow meant for me. I sank to my knees, reaching for Maeve, reeling with the pain she suffered.

My gaze shot upward. Angharad led the dive into the stone circle from above, supported by fifty or more dreigiau môr. I saw Cornelian and Ladon among them.

:No!: I thrust out my hands. Beside me, Llyr howled, thrusting out his hands also. Blue flared from our fingertips. Ondine’s out-thrust hands joined ours, adding fresh blue flame. Maeve’s hand fell upon me and my blue flame grew brighter.

Instead of striking Angharad and her allies, the blue blaze crackled and spread into a hollow dome. The stone circle’s massive giants surged with the blue light, crackling and sparkling upward from the ground.

The water sizzled. I heard screams both inside the shield and without. The crazed blue light pulsed and shuddered.

The light flickered and faded until only the afterburn shone when I blinked. The boulders forming the stone circle smoked. Fresh cracks marred their sides.

Dark forms sank from above, eddying like autumn leaves on a still day. I counted ten bodies before Ondine slid to her knees next to me. Her forehead shone with her sinuous Chosen mark. She tapped Maeve’s shoulders. :Maeve? Can you hear me?: She sent out a wider call. :Healers! To me!:

I heard distant shouts. Emrys yelled. :I will not retreat! I will go to her.: He ran across the open plain, Rhiannon at his heels, his guards hastily taking up flanking positions. Cychwr and a growing number of other dreigiau môr chased after the remaining invaders. How did they intend to fight without tooth and claw to aid them?

Llyr started after them.

:No.: I grabbed the hem of his robe. :I need you here.: He nodded and stood guard over us, along with Emrys and his company.

:Eidothea,: Maeve’s voice grated. I glanced at her, startled. Her eyelids flickered but remained closed. :Place my hand over the ring. Please.:

I obeyed. She wore the Grealseeker ring over her heart. I knew its story now. I straightened.

:No. Leave your hand on mine. I have need of you … for one last magic…:

I bent over her, squeezing her hand. I sensed no fear from her, only calm. I tried not to panic at her use of the word ‘last’. Magic would restore her. I begged the Goddess for mercy.

Ondine interrupted. :What is she saying? Why aren’t you moving out of the way? I need room to restore her heart’s rhythm.:

:It’s too late, hwyres,: Maeve spoke to us both. :I have lived long enough. I feel like … I shatter …:

Ondine buried her face into my shoulder, clutching my robe.

:Do not fight me,: Maeve said to me. :When I … take the ring and wear it …: Her voice faded. She whispered a spell, with words just beyond my comprehension. Our Chosen marks flared. The colour of them shifted from blue, to purple, to a deep red.

:I dreamed this,: Maeve whispered.

I kept my gaze fixed upon her but I saw something else. I saw her spell at work, a spell begun before we had even entered the Goddess’ circle. She knew, she had seen her fate, and had embraced it. Her soul threaded through her body and into the space concealed by our hands. Into the ring.

:Lend me … a bit of your strength.: I barely made out the words.

:I do not know how!:

:I will only take a little,: she promised. :Just a little.:

Her soul tugged on me. In my peripheral vision, both Ondine and Llyr jerked in surprise. I resisted for a moment and then surrendered. Part of who I am cascaded from my flesh to hers.

Too much of myself flowed into Maeve. I struggled to remain conscious. Ondine and Llyr, feeling my fear, cried out. Llyr’s hand gripped my other shoulder. His presence in my mind grew stronger, offering his support.

:A moment more,: Maeve breathed.

I felt like I shrivelled in on myself. I could not draw a breath. I was … the realisation stunned me. I was drowning. :Maeve!: Something hot trickled over my lip. I gasped, bubbles escaping my open mouth.

A great whoosh of energy flooded into my body. My head snapped back with its force. I lost my grip on Maeve’s hand and blacked out.

Eidothea lost consciousness during the bonding ceremony. Can you describe what happened then and immediately afterward?

I hastily muttered the shielding spell to reduce the agony of Maeve’s injuries. I saw twenty, maybe thirty bodies sink within the perimeter of the stone circle. Some were body parts, arms or legs, all scorched beyond recognition.

Our shield had done its work, protecting not just ourselves but all the gathered citizens of the caer. Despite that, my stomach turned. We would only know who lived and who died once we captured the rest who now fled.

I wanted to go after them but Eidothea tugged on my robe, begging me to stay. I stood next to her, ready to fight in hand to hand combat to keep her, Maeve, and my sister safe. Emrys and his guards joined me. We circled the women, facing out toward any danger.

Through the bond, Ondine’s and Eidothea’s distress became my own. I fought the urge to comfort them, scanning the area.

Some citizens remained, those who couldn’t fight in our human form. Some acted as lookouts, others watched us in the centre.

One of them cried out, pointing at us.

I turned my head. The blue fire of Eidothea’s mark changed to purple, then red. Some magic was afoot. Through our bond, Eidothea’s calm reassured me, muting her sorrow. She held Maeve’s hand.

I jerked, feeling a mental tug, followed by the bliss of surrender. My gills fluttered on a long exhale. All would be well.

Her fear flared hard in my mind and my knees buckled. I cried out, twisting and falling on my knees beside her. Eidothea bowed over Maeve, their hands clasped. Eidothea shuddered. I reached out, grabbing her shoulder.

Horrified, I saw air bubbling from her mouth, her gills flat against her neck. Blood trickled from her nose and slid unnoticed over her lips and chin, spattering into floating drops as she struggled to breathe. I swear I saw her gills fade.

Suddenly, her head snapped back, her back arched, and she collapsed.

:No!: I scrambled to her side. Ondine beat me, checking her for signs of life. Our bond remained as strong as ever. I knew she lived. I clasped her hand, willing her to wake up.

I noticed her robes of pale lavender had become a drab grey. What had Maeve done?

:Everything seems normal.: Ondine mused, sitting back on her heels. Her pale face and worried eyes belied that statement.

:Sister, her robes.:

:That is unusual.: Ondine brushed Eidothea’s sleeve. :Aside from the colour, they are fine. We should not remain here.: She glanced up, finding the Esteemed hovering over us. :Esteemed? Shall we return to the palace?:

He gazed at the two women lying on the ground, his breathing uneven. :This… this is incomprehensible,: he muttered, before squaring his shoulders and giving fresh orders.

I carried her back to the palace, ignoring Ondine’s concern for my strength. My heart raced with anxiety but I bore Eidothea’s weight easily.

Back at the palace, I laid her on her bed, straightening her limbs. I glanced down at Eidothea’s face. Her gills fluttered in her sleep. I wondered if my renewed strength had something to do with the spell Maeve had cast. One of her hands remained in a tight fist.

:What’s this?: I tried to pry her hand open.

:How curious.: Ondine looked over my shoulder. :When you brought her back broken from Above Sea, she held something in her fist also.:

:The button.: Despite my best intentions, I bristled. :Jasper’s button. She still wears it.: It had fallen out of the folds of her robe and lay over her Chosen mark, the brown cloth doing little to obscure her mark’s light, now returned to its normal pale blue hue.

:Is that what jealousy feels like?: Ondine asked. Of course she hadn’t had the chance to become comfortable with the bonding. :Caress and smooth her hand,: Ondine suggested. :If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll do it.:

Unwilling to surrender my place at Eidothea’s bedside, I drew her fist to rest upon my thigh. Gently, I stroked and caressed her clenched hand until she sighed. Her fingers curling open like petals.

In her palm lay the Grealseeker ring, its glow a dulled red.

Ondine plucked it from her hand. :I’ll put this on the chain with her button.: She stared down at the ring. :Does this feel … like Maeve to you? I only had a glimpse through our bond at the bonding ceremony.:

I glanced at her sinuous Chosen mark, shining blue just below her hairline. :I didn’t have much longer than you and I was focused on the—: She handed the ring to me. I rolled it in my palm. :Yes … it does feel like her.:

Eidothea twitched restlessly and moaned.

Ondine retrieved the ring and laid it upon Eidothea’s open palm. She settled and rolled onto her side, curling around her folded hand and the ring.

:Hey,: Ondine said, breaking my reverie, :could you feel a little less about Eidothea?:

:Practice your shielding spell,: I grumbled at her. :I can’t help it if she looks adorable.: I brushed a curl off her cheek.

Ondine groaned. :And I don’t have Maeve to commiserate with! Go now. I’ll thread this onto her necklace so she doesn’t lose it.:

I refused. :I’m not leaving until she wakes up and I see she’s better.:

Ondine sighed. :Suit yourself. Call me if there’s a change.:

I sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep. As the hours passed, my perch grew uncomfortable and I slid onto the floor, resting my head on the mattress.

I woke when someone nudged me with their foot. I blinked blearily at Ondine.

:She’s awake,: she told me, her face serious despite the good news.

Scrambling to my feet, I saw at once her robes were again lavender, except for a wide grey band along the edges of her sleeves. But none of that mattered for Eidothea’s appearance had altered.

Phew! Lots of action in today’s instalment. Any thoughts about Eidothea’s change? Thoughts about today’s instalment? Comments? Share below or join the Chat!

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